Brief

Zapped by an electric shock therapy machine, Charlotte Poole transforms from a desperate and dying teenager into a girl with electric superpowers. She works closely with the machine's inventor, Adam Damon, to learn more about her voltage. Soon, however, she comes to fear the harm that her powers can cause and must learn to control them.

What We Liked

- This book is the spiritual granddaughter to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It has the allure and beauty of Victorian New England with the fantasy fueled by the discovery of electricity. Charlotte Poole is a strong female character with so much more depth than gothic novels normally allow, but what's more impressive is that even apparently minor characters are shown to be multidimensional.
- As a film, this would be a beautiful period piece with fantastical elements--stars will want to work on it and audiences will want to see it.
- As a television show, this would be a smart young adult series that viewers could tune into for a guilty pleasure but walk away with something deeper.
- Key points: Strong female protagonist; Unique superpowers; Unique setting; Romantic; Multi-faceted characters

Synopsis

Charlotte Poole is a seventeen year old girl in Victorian New England who has been deathly sick for most of her life--her parents succumbed to illness when she was younger, and she's been getting sicker and sicker each year. Her older sister, Ella, has been taking care of her for her whole life along with their older brother, Benjamin, despite the disapproval from his wife, Imogene. Imogene complains to Charlotte that she has dried them up financially with her illness and prevented Ella from getting married and living her life. One day, Ella returns from a visit to New York City with a surprise for Charlotte--a lightbulb. It scares her, but she likes the way she can feel a small spark from it in her palm. Ella promises Charlotte that when she gets better, they will return to New York City and see the city lit up together. Charlotte is comforted by Ella's promise but believes it will never come true as she is getting sicker by the day and cannot even get out of bed on her own.

Charlotte and Ella visit Charlotte's doctor, and Charlotte is determined to try whatever it takes in order to try and get better, but the doctor disappoints them and says that Charlotte should get her affairs in order and prepare to die as she has tried everything. Ella is devastated but Charlotte presses the doctor until he tells her about one thing she hasn't tried yet--a new type of treatment called electroshock therapy. He warns against it, calling it too dangerous, but Charlotte insists on trying it, and a reluctant Ella finally agrees and takes her to see Adam Damon, the inventor of the electroshock therapy machine. When they arrive at Damon's manor, Charlotte is surprised to see that Adam is only 20 and is quite handsome. He takes her into his lab and hooks her up to his machine, starting her at a low voltage. She wants more, though, so he slowly increases the voltage until she is zapped with hundreds of bolts. At first, Charlotte doesn't feel better after the treatment and is bedridden for a few days, but when she wakes up, she feels miraculously cured. To celebrate, Ella takes her to the beach. Unfortunately, at the beach, Ella slips on some rocks and when Charlotte reaches out to grab her, the salt water works as a powerful current and electrocutes Ella, killing her and burning Charlotte's hands until they're permanently black.

Charlotte returns home, miserable about her sister's death and horrified at her hand in it. Imogene blames Charlotte for Ella's death as well. Benjamin has Charlotte touch him, and it almost kills him, so he and Imogene both send Charlotte away to live with Adam so that he can experiment with her powers and she won't hurt anyone. Adam is excited to see Charlotte, but she secretly plots to get strong enough to kill him as she blames him for Ella's death. Adam introduces Charlotte to his mother, Mrs. Damon, a sickly dying woman. Adam wants Charlotte to cure Mrs. Damon so that he can go back to New York and work for Nikola Tesla. Charlotte's powers allow her to feel the true essence of a person, and try as she might, all she feels as Adam's essence is kindness and protection. Charlotte attempts to treat Mrs. Damon, but the experience almost kills her, and she senses poison and evil in Mrs. Damon's essence. Despite the toll it takes out on Charlotte and the fact that she is now healed, Mrs. Damon wants more and more of Charlotte's treatments, even if it kills Charlotte.

Adam and Charlotte create a suit that helps her control her powers, and create more machines to study them. She learns that she can heal with her powers as well as hurt, and heals her brother, convincing him to come to a party that Mrs. Damon is throwing. Adam and Charlotte become romantically involved and Adam wants to take Charlotte to New York City with him and escape his mother, but Charlotte insists that they go to Mrs. Damon's party first as she's never gone to a party before. They go to the party and see Benjamin and everything is good and fun until Adam leaves to go pack their supplies so they can leave for New York, telling Charlotte to wait for him. While waiting, however, Mrs. Damon approaches Charlotte and threatens her, and tries to get her nurse to stab Charlotte with a syringe and sedate her so that she can keep Charlotte with her forever. Charlotte is scared and grabs the nurse, killing her. Adam returns and is furious with Charlotte, as is Benjamin and everyone else. The police are on their way, and Charlotte, despondent at what she's done, agrees to go to a mental institution.

Charlotte arrives at the mental institution and is met by a perverted orderly who cuts off all her hair. She lies in her cell, weakened and depressed, when all of a sudden, Imogene arrives to visit. Charlotte expects cruelty from Imogene, but Imogene says that they're sisters and shows Charlotte that she's sick and dying. Imogene asks for Charlotte to heal her and says that she trusts her, and so Charlotte grabs Imogene's arm. At first she drains her, but she pushes back and heals her, and heals herself as well, creating an alternating current with Imogene. Charlotte's hair grows back and she's strong enough to kill the orderly and break out of her cell when he comes in to try and rape her. Charlotte goes back to Adam and asks for his forgiveness, but he can't forgive her and says that he's done with experimenting on people forever. Adam uses Charlotte to kill his mother, and then she leaves for New York City to see Nikola Tesla and learn more about her powers.

About The Author

Meg North wrote her first story about a Halloween party at the age of five, and she's been cranking them out ever since. She's published five books and been a successful freelance writer and ghostwriter. She also gives historical tours, celebrating her love of the 1800s with thousands of annual visitors to Portland, Maine.